Starting residency · TN
Starting residency in Tennessee
In Tennessee, whether a resident needs a training license depends on the program or the applicant. Tennessee has no state income tax on wages.
Training license
- Status
- Depends on the program or applicant
- Called
- Special Training License, or a board-approved licensure exemption filed by the program
- Fee
- Special Training License: $30 ($25 license fee plus $5 state regulatory fee). Exemption: $10 per resident per year, paid by the program.
- Renewal
- Annual (the license is renewed each year at the program director's request; the exemption fee is paid each year)
Who applies: Program. For the license, the resident completes the personal sections and the sponsoring institution submits the application; for the exemption, the program director or dean files one application listing each resident.
Every resident without a full Tennessee license is covered by one of two routes, and the program decides which: a Special Training License or a licensure exemption that must be approved before the resident starts. Both limit practice to the training program, so moonlighting requires a full license, and both end when the resident leaves the program. IMGs on the license route submit an ECFMG certificate. The exemption fee comes from board rule 0880-02-.02.
Full license: MD: after 1 year of ACGME training for US/Canadian graduates; 3 years (or ABMS board certification) for IMGs. DO: after a 1-year internship or PGY-1. A full license matters if you plan to moonlight.
State income tax
No state income tax on wages.
Source: taxfoundation.org
Match Day to your first loan payment
Assumes you enroll in RAP or IBR when the grace period ends, recertify once a year, and file each tax return by April. Your servicer's dates govern.
Mid-March
Match Day
You learn where you'll train. Your program sends its residency (GME) agreement and onboarding steps.
March–April
Tennessee training license
Ask your program whether Tennessee requires a training license for you, then apply early if it does.
April–June
Credentialing and onboarding
Hospital credentialing, health screening, payroll and benefits forms, and a DEA registration if your program requires one.
Late June–July 1
Move and start
Intern orientation usually starts in the last week of June. When the first paycheck arrives depends on the hospital's payroll schedule, so budget for a few weeks of moving costs without one.
About 6 months after graduation
Federal loan grace period ends
Payments start 6 months after you leave school. Choose a plan before then, or request residency forbearance, during which interest accrues and months don't count toward PSLF.
First year of payments
Payments use last year's income
RAP and IBR use the adjusted gross income on your most recent tax return, which for most new residents is a student year. Payments rise after you recertify with a resident's income.
Osteopathic residents fall under the Tennessee Board of Osteopathic Examination, which uses the same two routes; its Special Training License fee is $50 plus the state regulatory fee, and its exemption fee is $50 per resident per year.
Related
- Compare RAP, IBR and Tiered Standard on a resident's income
- Tennessee physician non-compete law, for when you sign your first attending contract
- All states
General information, checked on the date above. Board requirements and fees change; confirm with the Tennessee Board of Medical Examinersand your program before you apply.